CHARIKAR CITY (SW) – The ever-growing global population has heightened food demands, prompting governments to explore ways to enhance food resources. Afghanistan, facing a population surge, is in dire need of bolstering its food supply and expanding existing resources, with agriculture being one of the primary sources of sustenance in Afghanistan.
Most Afghan farmers rely on traditional and age-old methods for cultivation, with limited familiarity with standardized techniques to expand production in crop fields. However, several obstacles impede their progress, leading to decreased yields and compromised harvests. Weed infestation emerges as a significant concern for farmers in Parwan.
50-year-old Mobasher, a resident of Qomchaq village in Siyah Gerd district of Parwan, tills 50 jeribs of agricultural land, cultivating wheat, barley, and oats during two seasons. He frets over the proliferation of weeds in his fields, lamenting not only the loss of part of his yield to weed clearance but also the damage inflicted upon his crops.
“We plant wheat; among them, 20 types of weeds grow as they are locally known. We have to hire laborers to remove these weeds,” he explains.
Ali Akbar, 45, who annually cultivates 16 jeribs of land with various cereal crops, also shares his concerns. He believes that increasing farmers’ awareness and distributing certified seeds by the government could help control weed growth.
Meanwhile, Abdul Aleem Osmani, a professor at the Agriculture Faculty of Parwan University, asserts that weed infestation is a pervasive problem for farmers nationwide. To curb it, he insists that the government and responsible institutions must increase farmers’ awareness, distribute certified seeds, and provide training in standardized irrigation methods.
Nevertheless, Neyaz Mohammad Tayeb, the Agricultural Affairs Officer at the Parwan Agriculture, Irrigation, and Livestock Directorate, confirms the weeds infestation in farmers’ fields in the province, attributing their spread to water channels transporting seeds from high-altitude areas and valleys to agricultural lands.
“The reason for the growth of weeds is that seeds are transported and propagated from high-altitude areas and valleys to agricultural lands through irrigation channels. Agricultural extension and technical officers have provided practical and theoretical technical advice to farmers,” Tayeb added.
Weeds refer to those unwanted plants that unintentionally grow amidst crop fields, as they are detrimental to crops, adversely affecting both yield quantity and quality.
While the exact impact of weed infestation on crop yields is not statistically defined, farmers are deeply concerned about their proliferation in their fields.
